Box-shaped cage rat trap



May 27, 1930. A D. D. WARNER 1,760,729

BOX SHAPED CAGE RAT TRAP Filed Jan. 9, 1928 Efg.

Patented May 27, E93@ i UNITE ortica DAN D. WARNER, OF JAMESTOWN, NORTH DAKOTA l BOX-SHAPED CAG-E RAT TRAP Application inea January 9, 192s. Aserial No. 245,497.

..10 end and a platform .pivoted to said casing .extending thereinto above the ioor thereof and some distance in front of said opening,

sai'd'platform carrying and adapted to operate a closing means forfsaid casing.

provide a trap comprising a casing preferably made of open-worl material, such as a metal screen having an open endV adapted to be closed by a door, which door is carried on 20 a pivoted platform extending into the casing above the front thereof and some distance in front of the casing.

It is more speciiically'an object of the invention to provide a trap comprising a casing 25 having an open end, a platform pivoted t0 spring being secured to eachy of the sides of the casing and to said door whereby said door -may be opened with said springs under tension and the Yfront end of the platform depressed so that said resilient means extends below the axis of the platform pivot, the inner end of the platform ybeing raised so that when an animal treads thereon said resilient means will .be raised above said axis and the door will sna'p shut. c Y

These and other objects and advantages of thev invention will be` fully set forth in the following description made 'in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to similar It is a further object of this invention to parts throughout the several views, and in which v y Fig. l is va plan viewof the trap in open or set position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line c.

2 2 of Fig. l, some parts being shown in diderent positions in dotted lines;

Fig.V 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 isa bottom plan view showing a modification on a reduced scale, and

Fig.l 5 is a vertical sectionk taken onl line 5 5 of Fig. 4all sectional views being take-n as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, a trap is showncoinprising a casing having a bottom or floor 6. While this casing may be made in various shapes, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated it is shown as rectangular in form. The casing is shown as having solid sides 9 rising from the floor 6 and as having a reticulate end 8 andtop 7. Said end 8' and. top 7 may be made of iron screen and in practice screen .having substantially a onefourth inch mesh'has been used. The end 8, is provided with. a small receptacle or pocket 5 at its inner side forming a bait holding means, which pocket is also shown as substantially rectangular in shape. The casing is open at theend opposite end 8 and has extending thereinto one end 2 of a platform l having a transverse opening therethrough receiving the rod orpintle 10 journaled in the sides 9 of the casing. As shown in Figs. l and 2 this pintle l() is located adjacent the bottoni of sides 9 and adjacent the open end of the casing. As clearly Shown in Fig. l, the inner end 2 of the platform over-lies or over-laps the outer end at the inner portion of the latter and theouter end of portion 2 thus forms a small ledge or shoulder extending from the top surface of the outer end of the platform l. A door 3 is vhinged by theV hinges 11 to the top of platform 1 just outward of said shoulder or the outer end of the portion 2. Door 3 is adapted to be swung down Substantially fiat against the platform 1, or to be disposed in vertical position as indicated in F ig. 1 so that when in said vertical position it abuts the end of the casing 7 and said shoulder and tightly closes the end of said casing. Resilient means, such as extensible coiled springs 4 are secured at their inner ends to members 12, such as nails or screws, which are secured in the sides 9. it

their Vouter ends the springs 4 are secured to similar members 12 secured in the sidesrof the door 3. Y

Vith the described structure it will be seen that platform 1 is vpivoted for a tiltingv motion about the pintle 10 and that door 3 can be swung downward against the tension of springs 4. To set the trap, door 3 will be swung down as indicated in Fig. 1 to its outer side, in contact with the top of platform 1. Platform 1 is then turned downwardly until its outer end contacts the supporting surface for the trap. The inner end .of platform 1, that is the end 2 thereof, will then be slightly raised above floor 6. The springs 4 are arranged so thatwhen the parts are thus positioned they will extend just below the axis of pintle 10. rlhe trap will thus remain in a pof sition with door 3 swung downwardly and the outer end of platform 1 depressed. Bait will be placed in the bait holding pocket 5. rllhe animal will approach the trap and see or smell the bait in pocket 5. The trap being of reticulate material at the top andY rear end makes the same quite light in day time and this assists in having the animal enter. The animal passes over the outer end of platform 1 into the trap and when it treads on the inner end 2 of the platform, said end will be depressed to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, the platform being very nicely balanced. When theiniier end`2 of the platform is depressed the position of springs 4 is changed so that saidsprings are brought above the axis of pintle 10 andthe springs then swing the door 8 upward very'quickly and snap it shut so that it is in its closed position in front of the easing. The animal is thus trapped in the casing. It will of course be apparent that the animal cannot trip the trap until it 'passes into the casing.

ln Figs. 4 and a modication is shown in which a platform l is shown as having a sliallow slot formed therein and a metal slide 13 inserted therein having a central slot through which passes screw 14 screwed to plat-form 1. The slide 13 can thus be adjusted lengthwise of platform l so that the desired balance can be obtained for said platform. Y

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a very simple and very efficient trap; rllhe parts of the trap vare very few and the same can beeasily and inexpensively made and at the same time very ruggedly made. The trap has proven very successful in practice and is being commercially marketed.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, proportions and arrangement of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, l

adapted to close said casing and resilient means connected tosaid casing and door c011- structed and arranged to be positioned below the axis of said platform pivot whenV said ydoor is in open' position and the outer end of said platform depressed and to be raised above said pivot when the inner end of said platform is depressed whereby when said inner end is depressed, said resilient means will quickly close said ;door.

2. A trap having in combinatioma casing having a bottom and sides and an `open end, a platform extending into ysaid open end above said bottom and some distance outward of said end, a pivot for said platform in said sides adjacent the bottom thereof and said open end, a door hinged to said platform and adapted to close said end of the casing,

resilientmeans connected'to the sides of the tioned so that when said door is swung down l on'said platform and the' outer end ofsaid platform depressed, said'means will extend below the axis of said pivot, but when the inner end of said platform is depressed, said means will extend above the axis of said pivot whereby said door will be quickly closed by said means.

3. A trap having in combination, a rectangularcasing having a bottom` sides and open-work rear endand top and being open at its front end, a platform extending to said casing adapted to swing about said pivotinA the sides of said casing adjacent the bottom of said sides and said open end, said platform having a downwardly extending off-set portion adjacent said open Y end, tensile coiled A springs secured to the sides of said casing at one end and to the sides of said door at rtheir other ends so positioned that'when said door j is swung downwardly on said platform and the outer end of said platform is depressed, said spring will extend below the axis of said form isA depressed said Vsprings will extend above the axis of said pivot and quickly close said door, and bait holding means at the rear end of said casing.

pivot, but when the inner end of said plat- 4. A trap having in combination, a casing having an open end, a. platform pivoted to said casing extending into the same through said open end andoutwardly some distance from said end, a. member carried by said platform and adapted to be moved into position to close said open end and resilient means connected to said easing and said member Y adapted to be placed under tension When said member is in open positionl and the outer end of said platform depressed, and to move said member to closed position when the inner end of said platform is depressed.

DAN D. WARNER. 

